Justice Elena Kagan to Deliver 2011 Commencement Address at UNM School of Law

Justice Elena Kagan, the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court, will present the 2011 commencement address at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She will be the first U. S. Supreme Court justice to speak at the school's graduation.

Kagan became the court's 112th justice and the fourth woman in the history of the court when the Senate confirmed her on Aug. 5 by a vote of 63-37. She succeeds retired Justice John Paul Stevens.

"Kagan established herself as one of the transformative academic leaders of our time during her tenure as dean at the Harvard Law School," said Kevin Washburn, dean of the UNM School of Law. "She will make an excellent Supreme Court justice and, for our purposes, a terrific commencement speaker."